Diabetic elderly at greater risk for fractures

The odds of hip fracture are nearly seven times greater in elderly women with type 1 diabetes, and almost twice as high in those with type 2 diabetes, compared with nondiabetic women, according to new study findings.

Researchers at Harvard University followed more than 100,000 women aged 56 to 81 for the study. Participants were asked not only about their treatment of diabetes but also other potential risk factors for hip fracture.

The risk of hip fracture increased the longer the women suffered type 2 diabetes, researchers found. The study noted that having type 2 diabetes for 12 or more years was associated with a three-times higher risk of hip fracture, compared with no diabetes. The study report is in the July issue of Diabetes Care.

More than 300 healthcare workers have complained to the Health and Human Services Department about employers infringing on their religious or conscience rights, a monthly total that increased nearly tenfold.